Where does “helmet” come from?
helmet (Old French) comes from Old French helme, from Medieval Latin helmus, from Frankish helm, from Proto-Germanic helmaz, from Proto-Germanic halmaz, from Proto-Indo-European ḱolh₂mos, from Proto-Indo-European ḱelh₂- — to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab.
Ancestry of “helmet”, step by step
helmet traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French helme
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | helme | helmet |
| 2 | Medieval Latin | helmus | helmet |
| 3 | Frankish | helm | helmet |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | helmaz | helmet |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | halmaz | halm; stem; stalk; straw; hay |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱolh₂mos | stalk |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱelh₂- | to pierce, strike; to stick; prick; stab |
via Proto-Germanic *helm
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Proto-Germanic | *helm | — |